Apple will not restore Google Maps to iOS

Posted on Wednesday, November 7th, 2012 at 10:07 am.

Apple iOS 6

Sources from within the smartphone industry, quoted by The Guardian, have this week revealed that Apple is almost certainly going to stick with its original plan and keep Google Maps away from iOS devices for the foreseeable future.

When iOS 6 launched along with the iPhone 5, many were critical of the new Apple Maps application which replaced Google’s tried and true software.

In spite of this, Google is still pushing ahead with the development of a maps application which is compatible with iOS 6. It will submit this to Apple, but believes that there is virtually no chance of it being accepted and launched.

Reports suggest that Google is partly to blame for its current exclusion from iOS, since it did not add things like turn by turn navigation to the version of its app destined for the iPhone, instead choosing to keep these as Android exclusives.

Both companies are essentially looking to shore up their brands, which is a perfectly acceptable practice, although it seems to be coming at the expense of the consumer’s ability to enjoy a good quality mapping experience on one of the world’s most popular smartphones.